Chapter 54: Chapter 54: Splitting the Loot
"Huh???
Ji Yuan looked at Qiu Qianhai with a face full of fear... You’re really one for shocking words.
Seeing Ji Yuan’s reaction, Qiu Qianhai knew he had misunderstood, "What are you thinking? I only tricked him, just tricked him."
After speaking, Qiu Qianhai sneered:
"I just sliced off his family jewels, leaving the Qin Family with one less descendant."
Once he said this, Ji Yuan nodded in understanding.
No wonder the Qin Family is hunting down Qiu Qianhai so relentlessly. Compared to their direct line, killing a Liu Lai isn’t much of a deal.
After learning this, Ji Yuan stopped asking further questions.
The two then divided the spoils.
They had killed two people, both being Tribulation Cultivators, but the loot was far less than Ji Yuan had imagined.
"Everyone here in Qingbo Pool ekes out a living from the wind and rain, constantly in battles, using up the good stuff is natural."
This was Qiu Qianhai’s explanation.
As for why the old fishing boat boss they had killed earlier was so wealthy, it was because he was a Tribulation Cultivator near the shore with few enemies, allowing him to accumulate more.
As for the Ghost Island Master, possessing the Yin Ghost Array, he didn’t even care to provoke those in the late Qi Cultivation stage.
In the end, splitting the loot in half, Ji Yuan only got 19 Spirit Stones, and among the Magical Artifacts, he took Xiong Youfu’s Bright Mirror.
This item seemed like a Heart-Protecting Mirror, but was surprisingly durable and capable of both defense and offense.
It can be used as a Protective Magical Artifact, and when spiritual power is injected, it can emit a powerful beam of spiritual light from the mirror’s surface, though it consumes quite a bit.
Besides, there was the Cold Iron Sand, which was Ji Yuan’s purpose for this trip. Being a specialty of Qingbo Pool, both of their Storage Bags had some, but not much.
Together they weighed about half a pound.
Ji Yuan urgently needed this, and after informing Qiu Qianhai, he took it all.
Moreover, Qiu Qianhai had another ounce or so of Cold Iron Sand, which he also gave to Ji Yuan.
He didn’t even ask Ji Yuan what it was for, he just gave it because Ji Yuan wanted it.
But Ji Yuan didn’t let him go unrewarded; he gave Qiu Qianhai one Middle Grade Fishing Boat left by Lin Laogou and an Attack Magical Artifact, the Cold Iron Spike, items precious due to their scarcity.
With this, Ji Yuan’s stock of Cold Iron Sand reached 24 ounces.
After thoroughly cleaning up, Ji Yuan followed Qiu Qianhai into the true depths of Qingbo Pool.
Here, the islands were much denser than outside, of varying sizes and scattered all around, with the largest having several houses built on it, visibly inhabited.
Ji Yuan squinted and saw that there were also cultivators setting up stalls there.
Qiu Qianhai, being somewhat familiar with the area, explained:
"That island is the largest in Qingbo Pool, called Qingbo Island. It has a small market with people selling Elixirs and Talismans, though prices are twenty percent higher than the market on the shore."
"The Water Dragon Sect has also set up a shop specifically for purchasing Cold Iron Sand here, priced the same as the market."
That’s why there are so few cultivators selling Cold Iron Sand in Zengtou City... Ji Yuan asked, "Where do we stay?"
"We just find an uninhabited small island."
Having disguised themselves, the two navigated their Dharma Ships—Ji Yuan still on the Black Wind Boat, while Qiu Qianhai switched to the Middle Grade Fishing Boat from Lin Laogou—they moved along, eyes roaming the islands on either side.
After half a day, they finally found a small island in the southeast corner of Qingbo Pool.
The island wasn’t big, estimating around a hundred square meters. Besides some fine sand on the shore, the island consisted entirely of gray-brown stones.
Even the two houses were crudely built with stones piled indiscriminately, unable to keep out the wind due to uneven stones leaving gaps, barely able to block rain.
Fortunately, they were all Jianghu people, unconcerned with such trivial details.
The two stone houses were just enough, one for each.
After Qiu Qianhai entered the house, he immediately used a Fire Technique, burning away cobwebs and dust on the walls.
Soon after, he used a Water Technique to clean up.
Ji Yuan quietly activated the effect of a level 1 Cave Mansion, and within a breath, the room was refreshed, with gaps in some stone cracks closing on their own, though some large spaces couldn’t be dealt with.
After using this cleaning effect, he silently deactivated the building effect.
With a place to stay, they could settle down temporarily.
Ji Yuan hadn’t even sat down when Qiu Qianhai, having just tidied up, said he would go out to gather information.
Both were in disguise anyway, and Ji Yuan wasn’t too worried, so he let him go.
But before half an hour passed, Qiu Qianhai returned in a hurry.
"There’s a situation."
"What situation?"
Ji Yuan withdrew from his state of comprehending the second layer of the Canglang Sword Technique and quietly put away a piece of white paper with "Enlightenment Room" written on it.
"They’ve come to Qingbo Pool." Qiu Qianhai lowered his voice.
They... naturally referred to those three from the Qin Family.
"They actually guessed we didn’t leave?" Ji Yuan was somewhat surprised; he thought he had done something unexpected, but it turned out they had done the same.
"Hmm."
Those three at the sixth stage of Qi Cultivation put considerable pressure on Qiu Qianhai. "Should we run?"
He knew he was no match, and worried Ji Yuan would get tangled up, so he thought running away was the best option.
"Run?"
Ji Yuan smiled, "Run for what? Qingbo Pool rarely offers such a good show; naturally, we should go take a look too."
"Hmm?"
Qiu Qianhai looked at him in surprise.
Ji Yuan stood up, patting his backside, "They’re after Qiu Qianhai. What does that have to do with Qiu Laosan?"
Upon hearing this, Qiu Qianhai understood and said, "You’ve got guts, let’s go."
He knew Ji Yuan wasn’t stupid—in fact, he was quite... cunning.
So if Ji Yuan wasn’t afraid, neither was he.
Soon, they approached the island from where the commotion came; sure enough, once there, Ji Yuan saw the two cultivators who had previously taken his spirit stones.
At this moment, those two were standing obsequiously beside a man in black robes, quietly speaking to him from both sides.
Taking spirit stones and not doing your job... Ji Yuan mused; it seemed he would have to find a chance to get his spirit stones back.
The black-robed man was likely Qin Wei, the leader from the Qin Family.
Behind Qin Wei stood two tall middle-aged men.
Observing their cultivation, Ji Yuan saw both were at the sixth stage of Qi Cultivation. They looked around the gathering crowd with sinister glances.
When Ji Yuan and Qiu Qianhai arrived, they gave them a deliberate look.
But they only glanced before looking away.
Without the Divine Sense of the Foundation Establishment Stage, it was hard to detect the disguise with the naked eye.
Qin Wei finished listening to the two cultivators, then cursed in a low voice, "Sons of bitches."
Then he loudly proclaimed:
"Once again, anyone with information on those two thieves, just notify me, and the Qin Family will reward you with 20 Spirit Stones."
"If you bring me Qiu Qianhai’s head, you’ll be rewarded 60 Spirit Stones!"
"Capture him alive, and it’s 100 Spirit Stones!"
After Qin Wei, the Qin Family’s young master, announced this reward, the surrounding cultivators cheered loudly.
Not to mention settling the score with Qiu Qianhai, just providing information would net you 20 Spirit Stones... Such a reward was indeed generous.
"Tsk, the Qin Family spares no expense."
Ji Yuan couldn’t help but remark.
"Indeed, they’re offering quite a bit."
Qiu Qianhai seemed to recall being backstabbed by Xiong Youfu.
Then the three from the Qin Family activated their Dharma Ship, guided by the two cultivators, heading toward the waters where Ji Yuan had killed Lin Laogou in an instant.
The other cultivators, eager for excitement, followed suit.
"Let’s go, we should take a look too."
Even Ji Yuan, the murderer, prepared to return to the crime scene.